We were sent this by Dennis Schwarz. It’s not the rules for a particular larp. What we have instead is the redistributable PDF for DKWDDk.
Which is short for the German phrase ‘Du Kannst, Was Du Darstellen Kannst’. Translating to English it comes out as ‘You Can Do, What You Can Represent’
Dennis has provided us with some solid background :-

DKWDDK (Not a single LARP, but an “open” rule set)

“DKWDDK is the set of rules used in the majority of German LARPs today. It is highly minimalistic, point- and mechanic-less, and strongly emphasizes player agency and self responsibility over organizer control or rulings. There are hundreds of events each year in Germany alone, while this set of rules – sometimes modified – is also used in Switzerland, Austria, and on occasion in a few other countries.
The largest LARP currently using these rules is the “Epic Empires” LARP in Germany, which draws around 1500-2000 players each year.
This ruleset is free to use and adapt by anyone.”

Download the DKWDDK Rules

The rules can be downloaded and are free to use.
If you do redistribute this PDF please keep the links /sources section intact.

This Years Objectives at Curious Pastimes

LARPBook spends quite a lot of time at Curious Pastimes. We’re there for at least two events. Staying for about 4 nights each time. This is fantastic as it offers us the time to do more with our coverage.
In 2018 we put a focus on a family that larps. In 2019 its going to be more about the unseen heroes of larp. All those people that work to make the event great.
A good larp is a bit like a Swan or an Iceberg. You only see the face that the game shows its players. Underneath there is a vast body of people supporting it. Often pedalling like crazy to make sure the right things happen at the right time in the right place.
This means that in our diaries you’ll get a bit more of a mention for the people behind the game.
They’ll also be popping up in photographs and videos as well.
The aim – to make 2019 we celebrate the year of the people who make larps work.

Event 1

These diaries cover Curious Pastimes Event 1 – The Siege of Ravenburg. This ran on the 3rd – 6th May 2019.

The Extra Diary

We try to publish diaries during a long event. This one was held back. Partially so that I could raise the point that the people who run larps are great.
Also it mentions the great surprise of this event. In game Trebuchet.

LARP Refs in Sync

Before I put the videos up as I want a special mention for th Trebuchet. These were a great example of larp referees working as a team.
The very simple description for how this worked is. A referee monitoring the Trebuchet would determine where a shot would land in game. Then by radio contact the appropriate ref for that in game area. This would lead to the area ref applying the results of the hit in game.
Sounds simple, but it worked. In the main battles this was combined with pyrotechnics. So now you actually felt those big Trebuchet hits landing. That was spectacular.

Who Creates The Characters?

On Average how tailored is the plot to characters

What Makes Your Events Friendly to New Players?

We have modules specifically tailored to teaching new players and integrating them into the veteran player base. We also have a team dedicates to New Player Relations.

How Frequently do you run events

10 events per year.

What are the facilities like?

Xadune is played at several Georgia State Park Group Camps. All have a central mess hall with full kitchen, bath houses with showers, and 4 to 8 bunk cabins. Our winter site is heated.

Tell us anything else you would like to about Your Game World, and How Your Events Work

Xadune is a Victorian Gaslamp Fantasy LARP with Steampunk and Sci-Fi elements. Xadune centers around a mysterious island city called XA0024, which is home to an infinite number of portals to an infinite number of places in the Multiverse.
There are 21 playable races, dozens of cultural varieties, and a pantheon of 26 gods. Xadune is a classless system, and allows for nigh complete customization of characters. Combat is lightest touch, and the game focuses on roleplay.

Tankards are essential immersive drinking vessel for a good many larps. The good news is that we’ve found a great tankard.

The video has all the information you need to know about these. The quick version is:

They are stainless steel and dishwasher proof

These tankards are double walled and insulated.

Because they are double walled that means they are well suited to both hot and cold drinks

The cover is custom and made of leather. It pops off when the tankard needs cleaning.

The Tankard Review Video

A little tankard history

I bought one of these at Curious Pastimes Renewal last year. I have a long history of buying, losing and even disintegrating tankards. I did have a need for a drinking vessel, but my bad track record was holding me back.

Eventually need overcame nervous and I bought one with a nice fleur-de-lys design. It was the last one at Stardust Larpcraft

We went to the bar and it did its job well.

Later that event the heavens opened. It rained and rained. Feeling as if the event was at the wrong end of a dragons urinal.

So we headed for a tent to record a video and have a cuppa. I only had the tankard on me, so I used it and it worked as promised. No lips burning on hot metal and my coffee stayed warm.

We met up with Stardust Larpcraft again. This time at What’s Your Game in Gloucester. Saw the tankards again and this time decided that they would be great as a team tankard.

The Making of our Tankards

This all happened through Facebook Messenger. We’d ask a question. Stardust would answer it. They’d ask for something and we’d answer.It was all very easy and amiable.

There were no nasty surprises.

Making it easy to recommend both Stardust Larpcraft, and our shiny new tankards.

John Harding works in media. He’s a pro-wrestler and he has a larp YouTube Channel. We’re also going to be working with John collaboratively on promoting and creating videos. It’s going to be an exciting time for us.
This Interview ran live on 24th April 2019 at approx 15:30 UK time. Just so you can put some context into when it came out.
I had a great time talking to John. He’s got some interesting plans for this season and I can’t wait to see them come to fruition.

Watch Johns Larp Videos

I’ve been designing a new larp and that has taken me down the route of thinking about the world that it runs in. These are some of my thoughts on constructing a world to run a larp in.

Why World Build ?

Players are critical to any larp; and they need to know quite a lot. They need to know how to costume in a way that creates an consistent feel to the game. They need to know how much things are worth, and what are the social norms.

In any larp we need to find a means that help players tackle these questions. That’s the point of detaling the game world. It allows everyone involved to contribute in way that improves the game for all.

Describing the Big Picture

Talking about a fictional world can be intimidating for both the writer and the reader. So we need to take it in steps. First of all do you know enough about the world to be able in a few seconds to give someone and idea of what it is like.

If you can; then that is awesome – as you have a clear idea of what you are creating.

If not then go back and think some more. Make notes of a few ideas. This way you should be give people your idea with clarity.

Decribing “The Edit”

First some context, The Edit is a larp under development. This is the current state of the Big Picture description.

The Edit explores what it is like to live in world changing in unforeseen ways. The population has crashed. Nowhere is safe. It has become dangerous to live in one place for too long. Bands of people are figuring out how to survive. Disease and disfigurement are everywhere.

A simpler description is that The Edit is a post Apocalypse Horror Fantasy

What do you think of these descriptions. Do they make the world worthy of exploring. If you think the answer is yes then The Edit is looking good.

Develop The Look and Feel

Players are going to need to know how to costume. They need to know what kind of equipment their characters will have access to.

In order for immersion to work well the players must all be developing their ideas from a common base. Make sure you have answers to questions that include

What does clothing look like?

What does armour look like?

Do characters have makeup or facial markings?

Are there any taboos towards certain kinds of dress?

What are common technologies emoployed by people?

This isn’t an exhaustive list; but not a bad start. Here are some things that can help.

Use a Mood Board

Mood boards are collections of images that set the tone and the feeling of what you are trying to achieve. The easiest way to do this is to use Pinterest.

Use Fictional References

Tell people which films, TV Shows or books best illustrate the world you are trying to create. If possible provide links to items on YouTube, Netflix or Amazon to help people get there.

Do A Photo Shoot

Get a few people together with a photographer and shoot a gallery of images that shows what you are going for. This will help to solidify your plans.

Applying Look and Feel to The Edit

The edit takes place very soon after the fall of civilisation. A plague is resposible for the fall. Dress is whatever you can get. Most people will wear their normal preferred choice of clothes. Some are wearing protective gear. Some are grabbing practial outdoor or military wear. Its not the full on Mad Max stlye apocalypse gear yet. It is the worn out modern day with some people taking precautions; while others are practical.

Its expected that a mood board will be established for the game.

The LARPs Rules

You may not see the rules as being part of the world, but thing of it this way. Your rules describe how people interact with things. How they achieve things. And if your larp involves conflict; who wins.

Your rules are a key tool in describing your world to the players.

This is never more true than in the case of character creation. The building of characters is an expression of how people live in your world.

Remember this about rules

Terms like no-rule or high-rule are explain complexity but in themselves don’t model the world.

Create your rules as needed to let people understand how the world works.

The Edits Rules

The plan here is for as few rules as possible. Combat should be brutal and terrifying. The combat rules will reflect this by making it easy to be killed. Character generation will be descriptive. Based upon building an archetype. The archtype comes from previous employment, interests and hobbies.

As you can see the rules are not finished. But I do have goals.

The General rule is Iteration

This means that your world won’t be formed first time. You’ll go back and edit and revise ideas. Each time improving things for yourself and others. Like the real world it should be a living breathing thing that never stops changing.

Your Players Understand Things

Never forget that your players are a fantastic resource. How they respond to things will teach you how people interact with your world. Always listen to them. They are a mine of ideas.

There’s a new UK based YouTube Channel on the scene. It’s run by John Harding and if you click here you can take a look.
We’ve been chatting with John about the possibility of sponsoring his channel.
We’re all about supporting LARP and after a have decided that this is exactly what we are going to do.
So I’d to formally announce LARPBooks support of his channel.

What will this mean?

The sponsorship we’re seeing is all about support so expect to see things like

Promotion of Johns videos on LARPBook

LARPBook seeing if we can help John with game or product access

Video Collaborations between us all

Any other great surprises we can think of for you.

The John Harding Video Channel

It’s Cyberpunk Larp time!

I need to start with a confession. I’m a long time fan of the genre. Ever since I discovered Gibsons sprawl stories pretty much as they were coming out. I have a memory or sitting in a bar with William Gibson at a Worldcon with a crowd of fans in the 80’s. I was also amazed to hear that at the time he was collecting ugly ties.

Here we are in 2019. Very close to the Cyberpunk year of 2020 and I was off to experience Tenement 67 as a 1 day event. The event was Paradise 101.

Paradise 101 had a lot of expectation to live up.

The Concept

Paradise 101 is the place to go the Tenements for entertainment. You’ll find all pleasures here. Including the ones you may not wish to witness. It’s controlled by the syndicate and is a playground for all levels in society.

Entering The Tenements

My character was one of societies super rich, Someone with unlimited money. Able to call on the resources of a major corporation by accident of birth. I wasn’t alone. 4 of the filthy rich were going to be entering the Tenements. Each of us wearing a clone body. All we had to do was have fun and spend money.

Of course there was a lot more than that going on. Story lines abounded. Yet from my perspective they in the main washed over us. Privildge became an insulating barrier. The syndicate at first did not like us. Then they fawned over us as they realised how much money we had. The misery of the disenfranchised became a toy.

Yes this was a cyberpunk.

Gunslinger battled, drugs, pleaures and experiences lined up. Neon popped through the dark and music played everywhere.

This larp dripped presence and genre style.

Was it Fun?

Absolutey. Being made part of a group frome the same background was a great idea and I take my hat off to my fellow super rich. You were awesomely awful!. Thank you.

Was it Challenging?

Very, the setting was dark and claustrophic. Lit by dim shades of green, blue and red; and the glowing clothes worn by many of the attendees. This wasn’t the crux of the challenge though. That was emotional, We were part of a trade in pain. People were being injured ; often in a harrowing fashion for our kicks. People were sharing memories and experiences in very intimate scenes.

This was the kind of larp that places in both a story and an emotional place. It’s not something were winning is tactics. The experience itself is solid and meanigful.

Also from my position I could sort of see other stories without being able to touch them. Having something tantalising around players is very smart larp writing – bravo.

The larps location

Paradise 101 was run at Grange Live Gaming in Birmingham. It was perfect. Placing us in a maze of alleyways, rooms and cubby whole. All indoors meant no sunlight. Instead we had the right kind of illumination for cyberpunk. I got turned around in the maze of it all more than once.